Revenge in Reflection
by Tao
Summary: AU. Ran moves into an old house and finds a kindred spirit.
1. Default Chapter

Poster's Note: Not my fic! Posting it for a good friend!

Author Note: Based off the awesome paranormal thriller, 'The Changeling'. I don't own the concept, but I did make some adjustments. I don't own Weiß, and I made some adjustments there too. If ghosts scare you, look elsewhere, cause I've creeped myself out writing this fic, more than once.

Revenge in Reflection  
  


Chapter 1.

Pink blossoms sailed on a gentle spring breeze, littering blood-red hair with decorative intent. The owner of the hair didn't notice the petals as he absently looked around himself. Trees had cloaked themselves in lime-green new leaves, the flowering ones showing off their blossoms of multiple colors. His feet crunched on a light scattering of gravel as he followed the trim brunette ahead of him.

"We're so glad you agreed to this house," the brunette was saying as he reached for keys in his pocket. "It's such a lovely house and it's sat empty for eight years."

Ran turned lavender eyes upward at the three-story home, looming large and whitewashed above him. Dusty windows draped with pale curtains looked back at him blankly. The brunette stepped up the three-tier stairs to the patio of the house, unlocking the front door. 

"Come on in, I'll give you a tour," he waved cheerfully despite the bland look on Ran's face. Ran followed him numbly. A large foyer boasting a dusty chandelier greeted them, echoing their footsteps on the polished, wooden floor now covered with dust. 

Ran looked around, taking in the elegant staircase leading upwards to the second floor and the hallways to each side. 

"The rooms are so spacious, I'm sure you can turn one or more of them into exercise rooms," the brunette said cheerfully in the pale light, turning to the solemn redhead. Ran nodded his head once in assent. 

"Come on this way."

Ran followed robotically, his body reacting, but his mind miles away. His mind was in a hospital room in town, with the still body of a girl. A girl with dark braids curling around her delicate face, and long, dark eyelashes resting on pale cheeks. A girl walking the line of life and death as the EKG monitor by her bedside counted out every beat she clung to life with.

Ran was aware of walking through large rooms with arched doorways, sheet-draped furniture, and large picture windows, but all it did was remind him of quiet, marble hallways and that sterile odor all hospitals carried. 

"When I thought of you and how you taught martial arts, I immediately thought of this house." His guide's voice refocused him back to the house. Ran blinked and looked into bright, aqua-colored eyes that looked back hopefully.

Ran looked around the room again, taking in the spaciousness. If he removed some of the furniture...

"It will do," he said quietly.

"Good!" the brunette grinned. "I'll get the papers ready today. The Historical Society will have a crew over tomorrow to clean the place up for you, dust, and all that."

Ran nodded, not really paying attention, gazing out the filmy window at the front of the house, where blossoms littered his car. 

"Um," the brunette bit his lip. "I see you're still trying to adjust."

Ran turned lilac eyes on him, and saw pity in those ocean-colored eyes. It angered and saddened him at the same time. 

"I'll be fine. I'll sign those papers when you have them ready."

The brunette held out a small business card. "You can sign them when _you're_ ready. Just give me a call."

Ran took the card, glancing over it. It declared the young man as Hidaka Ken, and gave a phone number. The background was a light blue, and that was it. Ran nodded assent, and looked back out the window.

--------------

The cleaning crews had come and gone, cleaning the windows of grime, the halls of cobwebs, and the floors of dust. Ran was unpacking boxes of the few things in the world he held onto. He'd already chosen his room on the second floor, placing his clothes in the closet and drawers neatly. If it wasn't for the furniture already in the house, it would have been utterly empty. 

Placing the last of a few books in a bookshelf, he kicked the box aside, lifting the last box onto the oak living room table to open. 

The door opened behind him, squeaking slightly on its hinges, and Ran turned, ready with a cold glare at the intruder for not knocking. His eyes found no victim to chill. He stared at the doorway for a few moments, waiting for someone to enter. When his patience grew thin, he walked over to it, looking out into the foyer hallway. 

The hallway sat quiet and undisturbed. Ran looked both ways down the hallway, irritated. 

"Natsu?" he called the name of the groundskeeper he knew was about. The name echoed in the utter largeness of the house. 

Ran waited for a response, then closed the door again, going back to the box. As he picked up the utility knife to cut the tape on the box, he heard the door squeak open again and whirled, meaning to catch the intruder in the act. The door was still sliding open on its hinges before stopping the slight movement, but no one stood in the doorway. 

Fully irritated, he stomped over to the door, glaring down the hallways. 

"Natsu!" he yelled. "Natsu!"

After a few moments, the grounds keeper stepped through the front door, heavy work gloves dripping soil.

"Fujimiya-san?" he asked. "Do you need help?"

"Were you just in here?" Ran demanded. 

Natsu looked surprised at his tone, blinking rapidly. "No. I was replacing the sprinkler pipes."

Ran wondered a moment whether to believe him, taking in the dirt smeared on the man's face coupled with sweat and the dirt particles still falling to the floor. He looked down at his feet, seeing no dirt on the floor in front of him. 

"It's nothing," he said finally, and Natsu raised an eyebrow before nodding, and walking back out.

Ran left the door open this time, returning to the box. Upon opening it, his eyes fell upon a small red ball resting at the top, a white star painted on its side. 

Gently, he picked it up, the smallest of smiles tugging at his lips.

-----------

"Niii-chan!"

Ran looked up from balancing his checkbook to see his sister grinning at him. 

"Let's play handball!" she challenged, and bounced a small red ball with a white star on it at him. He caught it easily, grinning at her.

"But you always win," he tried to complain.

"Oh pooh!" she pouted happily. "All work and no play makes Ran a dull boy!"

Ran grinned at her, closing his checkbook, and she stopped pouting.

"You might win this time!" she challenged, knowing full well he often lost on purpose.

-----------

Ran bounced the ball once, catching it again before placing it on the table. 

-----------

A heart-rending scream tore the early spring air as the frail figure of a girl flew through the air to land limply in the street as the car that had struck her drove on. The man in the back of the car looked back through his rear windshield to grin at Ran coldly as the sunlight reflected off of his glasses.

"Aya?" Ran crept forward toward the crumpled figure in the street. A light breeze ruffled strands of hair touching her forehead, skin gone pale as death.

"Aya..." he dropped to his knees, trying to gather her up into his arms. She was limp as a rag doll, seeming devoid of bones. 

"Aya!" He clutched her to him, the sound of her slow heartbeat reaching his ears, blocking out all other sound.

-----------

Lavender eyes jerked open, and clenched closed again in the sunlight streaming through his bedroom window. A loud pounding echoed through the house, sounding almost metallic, as if someone were rhythmically banging on a large metal box. He blinked at the sound, trying to figure out what was causing it as it echoed through out the house. 

The pounding fell silent, leaving him bewildered.

-----------

Natsu banged on the metal pipes in the basement with a hammer, echoing loud pinging sounds.

"Did it sound like that?" he asked.

Ran shook his head, looking down at the floor with his arms crossed. "Much deeper, and louder."

Natsu scratched his head. "It might just be the water heater. Sometimes it makes noises when it's starting for the first few times. It's a brand new heater, the house is old, you're bound to have strange noises."

Ran nodded, accepting that fact. "Thank you."

"No problem," Natsu shrugged. "Give it a couple days, the noises should stop."

-----------

"Aya-chan."

Ran paused in the doorway to look at the pale girl in her bed. So still. So quiet. So unlike the girl he knew. 

"Aya-chan, nii-chan is here." He stepped forward, sitting on the edge of her bed and taking her hand. Her face remained serene, not acknowledging his presence. He leaned forward to brush a few dark strands from her forehead.

"Look what I found yesterday, Aya." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the red ball, pressing it into her hand. "Your ball."

She gave no response as the EKG continued measuring every beat of her heart. Ran leaned forward to brush his lips across her forehead.

"You always win," he whispered in her ear.

------------

Ran walked across the petal-strewn gravel to the door, adjusting his keys in his hand, searching for the house key. Just as he lifted it to unlock the door, he heard the sound of glass breaking from above him. He turned back to hurry off the porch and look up, in time to see several small objects strike the gravel. 

He hurried down the steps, looking up at the top of the house. A medium-sized stained-glass window on the top most floor had a small pane broken out. He looked to the gravel near his feet and knelt to examine what had fallen. Small pieces of red glass gleamed dully in the light, amid the pink and white petals and pale gravel.

He slowly picked the pieces up, looking back to the stained glass window. He estimated its location in the house and hurriedly unlocked the door.

Running to his exercise room, he dropped the glass pieces on a small table and grabbed his katana from its stand next to it. He started up the stairs quickly, but cautiously. He passed the second floor, taking the second staircase to the third floor, scanning for any signs of intruders. 

All was silent in the house as he crept down the hallway, heading for the first door that faced the front of the house. Each door he opened turned out to be an empty bedroom, complete with a naked bed. The door in the middle of the hallway was nothing but a storage closet. None had a stained glass window.

Biting his lip, he almost jumped to hear a loud and insistent knocking on the front door. He trotted down the stairs, katana still in hand. 

Upon opening the door, Ken blinked at him, spotting the katana and the tense look on Ran's face. 

"You okay?" he asked. 

Ran took in the red athletic jersey and high socks Ken wore, coupled with red cleats. 

"I think someone is in the house," he said quietly. Ken's eyes grew large.

"How?" 

Ran pointed upward. "Something busted out an upstairs window as I can home."

Ken looked past him at the top of the stairs, and Ran turned in case Ken had spotted something. Seeing nothing, he turned back to the young man.

"Where is the room with the stained glass window?"

Ken frowned at him. "Stained glass window?"

Ran pushed past him back into the driveway and Ken followed.

"That window," he pointed. Ken stared and turned back to him in bewilderment.

"I've never seen that room," he admitted. "And I've been all through the house."

"I can see it right there," Ran jabbed his finger at the window.

"I see it too, but I have no idea how to get to it," Ken protested, lifting his hands in helplessness.

Ran frowned. "It's part of the house. There has to be a way into it."

-----------

They went back up the stairs, opening all doors on the third floor, then going down to search the second floor for good measure. 

"Nothing," Ken rubbed his forehead. "How is that possible?"

Ran looked at the doors, guestimating the position of the window. "It should be right about here."

He pointed to the storage closet and the two rooms on either side of it. Ken blinked at looked to Ran, who looked back.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ken asked. In answer, Ran grabbed a shelf attached to the back wall of the storage closet and yanked on it. 

"Secret door, there's always a secret door," Ken mumbled, grabbing onto the shelf with Ran and pulling. The shelf stayed in place and Ran narrowed his eyes at it. 

"I'm going to get some tools."

-----------

They unscrewed the shelves from the wall, throwing the shelves out into the hallway and feeling along the blank wall for a trigger or nitch that might indicate a hidden door.

"Finding anything?" Ken asked, frowning. Ran looked at the wall calculatingly, then picked up the hammer. He smashed it straight into the wall, knocking the plaster out.

"Umm, Ran," Ken frowned. "I'm sure no one could have gotten back there. No need to destroy the wall."

Ran ignored him, knocking out more plaster to reveal boards crossing a smooth wooden surface. As more plaster was removed, support beams and a doorknob were also uncovered. Ran pulled back the hammer to knock out the support beams and Ken spoke up.

"You'll bring the closet down on our heads!"

Ran knocked out the short support beams anyway, ignoring Ken's cries of worry, and the young man had to dodge the flying pieces of wood. 

"Watch it!" he scolded, but Ran was already prying at the cobwebbed boards nailed across the door.

"Um, Ran..." Ken hesitated. "I think that door was shut off for a reason."

He sighed as Ran pulled the first board loose anyway, with a loud crack. The other boards followed shortly afterward, and they stood looking at the revealed door.

"I ain't opening it." Ken shook his head, backing up. Ran gave him a quick glance and grabbed the doorknob. Finding it locked, he bashed at it with the hammer till it fell off. Sticking the prying edge of the hammer into the hole, he pulled the door open. The cool spring breeze blew down through the doorway, revealing a small set of steps upward.

"We are soooo asking for an ass kicking," Ken said quietly, looking up the stairs. Ran started up the stairs, and Ken gulped hard, starting up after him. 

An elegantly carved railing blocked the stairs from the room to the right. It was a large attic room, covered in cobwebs and dust, colored light streaming in through the stained glass window to shine in patches on the walls. 

Ken blinked, brushing away hanging webs as he looked around the room he'd never known of. A small carved-wood bed sat against the wall in the center of the room. A matching dresser and vanity sat against the other walls. All were dark and elegant, probably antique. A cobweb-anchored, wooden rocking horse sat to the right side of the room. Near the window sat a white bathtub with little carved feet. A set of crystal wind chimes hung from the center of the room, catching the light and splitting it asunder into rainbow splashes. 

"Oh wow," Ken breathed, awed by the bright colors in an otherwise dusky room. Ran stepped up across the wooden floor, looking around. Ken walked up to the rocking horse, pushing on its nose, sending it rocking back and forth. 

"I'd always wanted one of these," he grinned to Ran. Ran didn't answer, stepping over to the window to examine the missing pane.

"This was a child's room," Ken walked over to the vanity, observing the tiny chair in front of it. He spotted a small music box nearly hidden by cobwebs and lifted the top, listening to the tinkling music that sang out in tiny dulcet notes.

"Somewhere over the Rainbow," Ken grinned, naming the tune. He turned to look at Ran's back.

"Why would anyone block off this room?" 

Ran looked back at him over his shoulder. "Why indeed."

Ken opened a drawer in the dresser and lifted out a small set of overall shorts.

"They're so small," he held them up, dust falling out of the green cloth.

Ran didn't want to look. He only wanted to know what had broken the window. And why the room had been sealed off. He didn't like mysteries in his own house.  

"Who used to live here?" he asked. Ken put the overalls back in the drawer.

"An old man named Katsuhiro Otomo. He was a rich old guy. Used to be in the movie business."

"Where is he?"

"He died. Eight years ago," Ken said quietly. "That's when the Historical Society picked up the house."

"He had children?"

"No, I don't think even he knew about this room."

"Then who lived here before that?"

"Takatori Shuuichi."

Ran felt his blood run cold. "T...Takatori?"

"Yeah, his grandfather built the house, and it was in their family for a while. Till they sold it to Katsuhiro."

"Why?"

"I guess they didn't want it anymore."

Ran backed away from the window. "Shuuichi. Is he...in anyway...related to Takatori Reiji?"

Ken blinked at the question. "Yes, they were brothers."

Ran took a few deep breaths. 

"I see, you don't want to stay in a house that was owned by a crime family," Ken sighed. "Really, Shuuichi didn't get involved in that."

Ran wanted to be furious. He was sleeping, possibly in the same bed Reiji had. Reiji, who had run Aya over. Reiji, who had to pay for his crime. 

"I...I can't stay in this house," Ran walked toward the stairs.

Ken sighed, following him. "I would have told you if I thought it had mattered. Really, Ran. I didn't try to trick you."

"I know," Ran headed down the stairs.

------------

"I'm sorry," Ken said quietly as they reached the bottom of the steps. Ran took a deep breath.

"Reiji was the one who ran over my sister."

Realization hit Ken full force.

"Oh god, I'm really sorry, Ran, if I had known..."

He trailed off to hear what sounded like footsteps upstairs. Ran's head jerked up, looking back up the stairs, hand tightening on his katana. The footsteps seem to come down toward them from higher in the house, and they tensed, waiting for whoever it was to show themselves. They finally saw movement as the sound neared the top of the stairs they stood at.

All color drained from Ran's face as a small red ball bounced down the staircase to roll across the floor and stop at his feet. Looking up at him from the side up the ball that faced up, was a white star.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.  
  
Ran was packing again that afternoon, canceling the classes he'd finally scheduled to teach. Ken had agreed to seek another house for his use. As Ran folded his clothes and placed them back into the boxes he'd pulled them from just yesterday, he paused to consider the young man.  
  
Ken claimed to be a fan of his sword style, and had been thrilled to see him in town. Ran was low on money from paying for his sister's hospital bills, and even more so for bringing her here, to a hospital specializing in head trauma. Ken had stepped right in, offering cheap rent of houses owned by the Historical Society he was a part of. Sometimes, it was nice to have someone else who took the time to care about him, as he cared for Aya.  
  
Ran lifted his head to hear the floorboards squeak upstairs. Upon seeing that ball come down the stairs, he'd accepted that he wasn't alone in the house. Not alone, and yet he was. He hadn't believed in ghosts, or hauntings. But now it had happened to him. And it was getting more and more aggressive.  
  
Doors opening, the squeak of floorboards. That chill he felt pass through the room he was in from time to time that raised the hairs on the back of his neck.  
  
He heard a knock at the front door, and hurried to open it. Ken looked at him with an expression that indicated he had something to talk about. Behind him was a tall blonde man with a cigarette hanging from between his lips and a manila folder under his arm. A pair of sunglasses perched precariously on his nose. Ran frowned at the choking scent of the cigarette, resisting the urge to cough.  
  
"Hey Ran." Ken tugged at the collar of the blue flannel shirt he wore, sleeves rolled up past his elbows. "This is Kudou Youji, a friend of mine. He's also a private investigator, and I asked him to check up on the house."  
  
Youji tilted his head, plucking the cigarette from his lips and holding out his free hand. "Nice to meet you."  
  
Ran looked at the offered hand, and back up at the thin face housing dark green eyes. A sharp intelligence rested in them, and a spark of mischief. Ran wasn't sure he trusted that mischief.  
  
Youji retracted the hand when he realized it wasn't going to be taken. Clearing his throat, he pulled out the manila folder. "You might find this interesting."  
  
----------------  
  
Ran glared at the police picture of Reiji in his hands as Youji and Ken shifted through the papers spread out across the large oak dining table.  
  
"This, is Takatori Akira." Youji held up an age-browned picture of a happily smiling elderly man in a business suit. "He was a self-made millionaire. He built this house back in 1924. He died of a heart attack at age 71 in this house."  
  
The floorboards creaked upstairs and all eyes flew upward.  
  
"Ahem, suspect one," Youji continued, looking back to the papers. "Akira had three sons, the eldest being Takatori Saijou. Saijou died of an aneurysm at age 39. In this house."  
  
Youji glanced up again incase the boards creaked again. When they didn't, he went on.  
  
"Suspect Two. Now to the present. Saijou had two sons. Reiji, and Shuuichi." He nodded toward the paper Ran held. "Shuuichi owned the house. Reiji was already involved in crime, so Saijou willed all of the family fortune to Shuuichi."  
  
Ken nodded at Ran with Youji's words, eyes quietly serious.  
  
"Shuuichi, he died of cancer 10 years ago." Youji held up a death certificate from the mess of papers. "With no heirs. So he willed the family fortune to Reiji's youngest son, Mamoru."  
  
Ran nodded, ignoring the sound of something sliding across the floor upstairs, while the other two stared upward in silence.  
  
"Go on," he said calmly.  
  
Youji looked back to him, hand sliding toward his shirt pocket for his pack of cigarettes, then moving away at Ran's warning gaze. Youji grimaced, then slid a newspaper clipping across the table toward him.  
  
"At age eight, Mamoru was kidnapped by ransom seekers. Reiji paid the ransom, but the boy was killed anyway."  
  
Ran glanced over the yellowed newspaper story, taking in the title "Takatori Heir to Millions Kidnapped."  
  
"The family fortune then went to Hirofumi, Reiji's eldest son. When Hirofumi hit eighteen, he inherited the family fortune. And that's when Reiji went big league. At that point, they sold this house to Katsuhiro Otomo. Otomo died of old age, in this house, making him suspect three."  
  
"So one of those three men is probably who's up there." Ken pointed up, leaning forward on the back of the chair he had reversed before straddling. "The thing is, no phenomenon had been previously recorded in this house. Nothing was ever mentioned about anything like this by Otomo, or the Takatori's. I mean, we ask about this kind of stuff when we take an old house like this."  
  
"Meaning what?" Ran asked evenly.  
  
"Well, it's Otomo, or..." Ken looked around, then back into Ran's eyes. "Or, there's something about you that is making this happen."  
  
Ran stared back at him, pouring coldness into his look, trying to force the young man to look away first. Ken finally did, concern filling his face.  
  
"We can find out," Youji spoke up quietly, noting the stare-down.  
  
"His wife is psychic." Ken nodded.  
  
"A medium, Ken." Youji sighed. "She doesn't see the future. Medium, say it with me."  
  
"Medium." Ken rolled his eyes, turning his head slightly so Youji couldn't see.  
  
"Medium," Ran repeated. "She talks to ghosts."  
  
"In a fashion." Youji nodded. "Sometimes it comes in real handy on a case."  
  
Ran sighed, lowering his head into his hands, stroking his hair back. "I just want out of this house. I don't have anything to do with this. I don't care."  
  
"Sorry, Ran." Ken shook his head. "You're not leaving till we find out what's going on. You're part of this now, whether you like it or not."  
  
--------------------  
  
That evening, Ken opened the door to allow Youji and a dark-haired young woman into the house, looking spooked.  
  
"You look like you've seen a ghost." Youji chuckled at him.  
  
Ken stared back at him with hollow eyes. "It's gotten stronger."  
  
He led the couple into the dining room where Ran was sweeping up bits of broken glass and china.  
  
"Whoever it is trashed a cabinet." Ken pointed to an antique display case, the glass broken from the front doors, two leftover china plates lying facedown on the shelves. Ran looked up from sweeping, glancing at the two.  
  
Mrs. Kudou looked around the room, dark eyes straying to the walls, then up toward the ceiling. She was small, dressed in a long overcoat.  
  
"Ran, I'd like you to meet my wife, Kudou Asuka," Youji introduced. Ran nodded at the young woman, who offered him a small smile, and stepped back toward the foyer.  
  
"Dear?" Youji blinked after her. Asuka wandered back into the foyer, standing at the bottom of the stairs and gazing up them.  
  
Ran swept the mess into the dustpan, quickly dumping it and going to follow the others, Ken having trailed after Youji. He joined the group at the bottom of the stairs. Ken and Youji were looking at Asuka, who was staring up at the top of the stairs.  
  
Asuka finally turned to look at him, past her husband. "It's very strong. I can feel it down here, and it's up there."  
  
"Do you know what it is?" Ran asked.  
  
"No, I don't talk to them like that." She grinned. "It's a bit more complex."  
  
------------------  
  
"I'm going to record this, is that okay?" Ken asked, placing a tape recorder on the table. Asuka nodded as Youji dropped a pile of papers in front of her.  
  
"Why don't you get the video camera, Ken?" Youji winked at him.  
  
"Because someone else has the video camera." Ken frowned in disappointment. Youji chuckled and sat down to the right of his wife with Ran sitting to her left.  
  
"Now, don't try to talk to her." Youji looked to Ran. "It disturbs her concentration."  
  
Ran nodded, taking a deep breath to prepare for what was to come.  
  
Asuka squeezed her husband's hand once before taking up the pencil next to the papers. Holding it in her fist like a child, she rested it over the paper and closed her eyes. Ran watched her, waiting and wondering exactly how this kind of thing worked.  
  
Ken hit record, and settled down to watch. They sat in tense silence as Asuka concentrated.  
  
"Don't be afraid," Asuka said softly. "We are here to talk to you."  
  
Ran looked around, waiting for some kind of response. The pencil in Asuka's hand began to scrawl across the paper aimlessly.  
  
"Will you talk to us?" Asuka asked. Ken cleared his throat, drawing eyes to him, and he looked back guiltily.  
  
The hair on the back of Ran's neck suddenly stood up with a chill as goosebumps spread down his arms. He looked around quickly, and saw Ken's eyes widen as goosebumps rose on his own bare forearms.  
  
"Will you talk to us?" Asuka asked again, voice having gone monotone and soothing. The pencil jerked across the paper, and Youji pulled the first sheet off as the pencil took to the next, drawing zigzags. Then it oriented, and made quick movements.  
  
"Yes," Youji read the word from the paper, looking up at Ran and Ken. He ripped the sheet off.  
  
Ken looked around at each of them, eyes darting nervously. Ran kept watching the pencil.  
  
"Good," Asuka said softly. "Are you Katsuhiro Otomo?"  
  
The pencil scrawled in wait, then quickly wrote in messy letters.  
  
"No," Youji read aloud.  
  
"Are you Takatori Akira?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Are you Takatori Saijou?"  
  
"No." Youji blinked, pulling the paper free and dropping it to the floor.  
  
"What is your name?" Asuka asked softly and slowly.  
  
Ran found his breath speeding up. It was cold. The room was cold. Bitter, biting cold. He listened to the pencil scratch on the paper as he tried not to rub his arms for warmth.  
  
"Mamoru," Youji nearly whispered.  
  
"Are you the child Takatori Mamoru?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"The child that was kidnapped nine years ago?"  
  
"No."  
  
Ken's head rose in startlement as Youji himself blinked.  
  
"Another?" Ken whispered. Youji gave him a look that told him to shut his mouth. Ken blinked at his own visible breath, brow furrowing as he finally saw the small puffs of mist coming from everyone's mouths or noses. Was it really that cold in this room?  
  
"Mamoru, are you the youngest son of Takatori Reiji?"  
  
The pencil scrawled aimlessly, filling the paper, and Youji ripped it off, and yet the pencil continued its wordless movement.  
  
"What's wrong with it?" Ken opened his mouth again, watching his own breath.  
  
"It's confused," Youji hissed at him.  
  
"Mamoru, why are you in this house? Why can you not find rest?"  
  
The pencil took action, and Youji opened his mouth to read, then closed it again, frowning and staring at the paper. Ran leaned forward to look. A square surrounded a circle, and around the square the pencil was busily doodling some kind of creature with four legs.  
  
Ran looked at Youji in question, who frowned back at him, equally perplexed.  
  
"Mamoru, why can you not find rest?"  
  
The pencil carefully doodled a few more of the creatures, then moved down to the circle within the square, coloring it in.  
  
"It's a child," Youji whispered. "They get sidetracked."  
  
Ken wanted to laugh, but it died in his throat. Ran clenched and unclenched his fists, wanting the spirit to get on with it. He had better things to do.  
  
The pencil drew what looked like a house near the circle within the square, then wrote a large 'X' over the circle.  
  
"Mamoru, why are you in this house?"  
  
The table jumped, and Ken scooted back from it in a hurry. Ran lifted his hands from the table, glaring down at it as if daring it to do it again.  
  
"Mamoru, did you die in this house?" Asuka changed the question.  
  
"Yes." Youji nodded to the others as the words reappeared.  
  
"How did you die, Mamoru?" Asuka's voice changed, sounding more gentle and caring, like a mother speaking to her child. The pencil began its aimless scrawl again and Ran gripped the edge of the table, getting impatient.  
  
"Mamoru, are you angry about Ran being in this house?" Asuka changed her question again.  
  
"No."  
  
"Mamoru, do you want Ran to leave?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Mamoru, is there something you want from Ran?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Ran blinked, staring at Youji, who looked at him ominously as he ripped the page off.  
  
"What is it you want from Ran, Mamoru?"  
  
The pencil jerked in its haste.  
  
"Help." Youji ripped the pages off. "Help. Help. Help. Hel-"  
  
The pencil broke in two in Asuka's hand and the papers on the floor flew into the air, sending Ken to his feet out of his chair, edging toward the door. Asuka opened her eyes with a gasp, staring at nothing for a moment before she started blinking. Tears formed in her eyes and she began to sob.  
  
Youji put his arms around her, pulling her to him as she wept into his shoulder. Ran finally rubbed his arms as the room warmed. Ken stood where he was, gulping air as the last of the papers fluttered to rest on the floor.  
  
Youji looked to Ran as he rubbed his wife's back to soothe her. "Now you know who and why. What are you going to do about it?"  
  
--------------------  
  
Ran picked listlessly at lint balls on his black shirt as Ken looked the papers over. Youji had taken his wife home, who had not taken the experience well.  
  
"I thought this kid had been kidnapped." Ken sighed, looking at the doodle.  
  
"Apparently not," Ran said quietly, not taking his attention from the shirt.  
  
"He wants you to help him." Ken looked back over his shoulder. "Why you? What can you do?"  
  
Ran lifted his eyes, looking at him through his eyelashes.  
  
"No offense," Ken stuttered. Ran looked back down at his shirt.  
  
Ken sighed and put the papers down. "I didn't understand any of that. It's Mamoru, he doesn't know if he's Reiji's son, doesn't know why he's here, how he died, and didn't tell us what he wanted you to do."  
  
"Tough." Ran flicked a lint ball. "I don't owe the Takatori family anything."  
  
"Ran, you've got to help him," Ken insisted. "It's a kid, Ran. He didn't run over your sister. He's dead!"  
  
"He's a Takatori."  
  
Ken clenched his fists. They heard the chandelier in the foyer rattle. Ran sighed.  
  
"I have my boxes packed. I'm ready to leave. If you can find me another house, I'll take it graciously. If not, then I'll make due."  
  
Ken closed his eyes, turning away from him.  
  
"You know," he said quietly. "I looked upon you like a hero. The great Ran Fujimiya, swordsman extraordinaire. I always thought you'd stand up to protect the innocent and wronged, because that's what heroes do."  
  
Ran looked at Ken's back, seeing the disappointment in Ken's slumped shoulders.  
  
"Now, this kid, is calling out to you from beyond the very grave, begging for help, and you're turning your back on him."  
  
Ran looked at the floor, crossing his arms.  
  
"Maybe you aren't the hero I thought you were."  
  
Ken turned his head to look at him, and Ran didn't return the look.  
  
"I'll find you a house, Ran," he said quietly. "And I'm going to help this kid. Because someone needs to."  
  
Grabbing his tape recorder, Ken headed for the door, anger apparent in his steps.  
  
Ran finally looked after him, watching the chocolate brown head disappear around the corner.  
  
"There are no heroes left, Ken," he said quietly. "There is only revenge."  
  
There was the sound of exploding glass echoed by Ken's scream, and Ran dashed forward, sliding across the smooth wooden floor. He grabbed the doorframe to catch himself, staring down at the scene before him.  
  
The window in the front door had shattered, with Ken lying on the floor, covered in glass shards. Blood streaked his face from behind the arm still held up to shield it. Something thumped against the stairs, and a small red ball flashing a white star bounced off the last step to roll to a stop near Ken's head. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.  
  
Ran awoke to a gleam of sunlight and a booming echoing through the house. The same sound as yesterday. He glanced at his watch. Seven o'clock AM. The same time as yesterday. Steady as a heartbeat. He counted it as it continued. Five, six, seven...  
  
"What is that?"  
  
Ran glanced over to see Ken sitting up in the large chair across from him, rubbing his eyes. Eight, nine... The pounding stopped, leaving the house quiet but for the cheery sound of birds in chorus outside.  
  
Ran looked at Ken in surprise, wondering what he was doing there, then spotting the small bandages on Ken's face, and his bandaged hands. Glass. The glass in the front door.  
  
His back ached, and he grimaced, sitting up. He'd fallen asleep on the living room couch. He stood up, stretching the ache out of his back, trying to cover up his initial surprise by acting casual. Sore, cramped muscles cried in protest.  
  
"It's the water heater." Ran winced as he stretched.  
  
"From upstairs?" Ken blinked, pointing upwards.  
  
"That's what Natsu said." Ran shrugged, blinking at the light. Ken sat up, stretching, and glanced at his hands.  
  
"I guess I pissed him off, eh?" He rubbed the back of his head.  
  
"You didn't piss him off." Ran glanced upwards. "I pissed him off."  
  
Ken chuckled, stretching his own back, lifting his arms above his head. "I can't believe we stayed here."  
  
"He wasn't going to let us leave."  
  
Ken blinked, lowering his arms. "Shit. Do you think we're still trapped here?"  
  
Ran got up and walked toward the foyer. Ken scrambled after him. Ran looked out through the empty window and grasped the doorknob. It turned and the door swung open easily.  
  
"Guess not." Ken shrugged.  
  
"Are you going to try and help him?" Ran asked quietly. Ken scrubbed his fingers through his hair.  
  
"Yes, I am. He came out and asked for help. And he wants it badly enough to do this."  
  
Ran nodded his head, folding his arms and looking at the floor. "Let's listen to the tape again."  
  
Ken looked to him, and blinked. Then he smiled broadly.  
  
-----------------  
  
"Will you talk to us?" Asuka's voice asked on the tape. They heard the scratching of the pencil, and Youji answering.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good. Are you Katsuhiro Otomo?"  
  
"No."  
  
"No," Youji's voice read.  
  
"Wait a minute." Ran sat up from the chair. "Rewind."  
  
"Good. Are you Katsuhiro Otomo?"  
  
"No."  
  
"No."  
  
Ken stared at the tape recorder and hit stop, then rewound again.  
  
"Good. Are you Katsuhiro Otomo?"  
  
"No."  
  
The first "No" on the recording came out soft and echoing, high- pitched and whispery.  
  
"No," Youji's voice said right afterward. Ken looked to Ran, eyes wide. Ran stared at the tape recorder.  
  
"Are you Takatori Akira?"  
  
"No," the voice spoke again before Youji echoed it.  
  
"Holy shit." Ken gasped.  
  
"Are you Takatori Saijou?"  
  
"No."  
  
Ken stopped the tape, staring at Ran. "We recorded him."  
  
Ran nodded, staring at the tape recorder. "Play it."  
  
"What is your name?"  
  
"Mamoru," said the voice in a whimpery tone, like a scolded child on the verge of tears.  
  
"Mamoru," Youji whispered.  
  
"Are you the child Takatori Mamoru?"  
  
------------  
  
They listened to the voice of Mamoru precede Youji's as the tape went on.  
  
"Mamoru, are you the youngest son of Takatori Reiji?"  
  
"Shiii," the voice whispered.  
  
"Rewind that." Ran pointed at the tape recorder quickly. "Turn it up."  
  
Ken did so, turning the volume to its highest point.  
  
"Mamoru, are you the youngest son of Takatori Reiji?"  
  
"Shuuichi."  
  
"What's wrong with it?" Ken's voice whispered. Ken hit stop, staring at the recording, open-mouthed.  
  
"Shuuichi," Ran repeated. "Are you Reiji's son...Shuuichi..."  
  
"Oh my god." Ken covered his mouth with his hand. The two looked at each other, confirming their conclusions.  
  
"He wasn't Reiji's son?" Ken breathed.  
  
"He didn't know how to explain it." Ran nodded. "That's why he was confused. Which means our other answers are probably on this tape."  
  
"I wonder if Reiji knew." Ken frowned. Ran shrugged, and hit play.  
  
"Mamoru, why are you in this house? Why can you not find rest?"  
  
Mamoru's voice began to speak in its high child tone, the words blending into mumbling.  
  
"What's he saying?" Ken whispered to Ran.  
  
"I can't make it out." Ran shook his head, frowning. "It's too quiet."  
  
The tape played on. "Mamoru, did you die in this house?"  
  
"My room," Mamoru's voice whimpered.  
  
Ken looked up, mouthing the words. Ran looked up as well, his breath quickening.  
  
"How did you die, Mamoru?"  
  
"My father."  
  
After a breathless pause, Ken hit 'stop' and got up. "Oh my god."  
  
He paced the room in quick strides as Ran watched him. Ken paced the length of the room and turned back again, hands hugging his arms shakily.  
  
"Shuuichi was dead already," Ran said quietly.  
  
"Oh god..." Ken's voice trembled, he turned and walked back to the window, leaning his forehead against the cold glass.  
  
Ran looked back to the tape recorder. "He's a monster, Ken. He ran over my sister and didn't care one bit. Why does it surprise you he would murder his son?"  
  
Ken rolled his head on the window, shaking it. "No wonder he's pissed."  
  
Ran nodded at his back.  
  
"He wants you to help him." Ken turned to look at him. "Because you both want the same thing."  
  
Ran nodded again, and hit play.  
  
"Mamoru, are you angry about Ran being in this house?"  
  
"No."  
  
"No," Youji's voice echoed.  
  
"Mamoru, do you want Ran to leave?"  
  
"No." Mamoru's voice got louder.  
  
"No."  
  
"Mamoru, is there something you want from Ran?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What is it you want from Ran, Mamoru?"  
  
"Help," Mamoru's voice wailed and the wail got louder.  
  
"Help," Youji read. "Help. Help. Help. Hel-"  
  
The rest of the tape filled with wailing, the sobbing of an upset child, echoed by Asuka's sobs, till it faded out.  
  
"Now you know who and why. What are you going to do about it?" Youji's voice asked.  
  
Ran hit stop and stood up, brushing the wrinkles from his pants. He walked toward the foyer, and Ken followed after him.  
  
"Ran?"  
  
Ran walked past the foyer to the boxes, tearing one open with his hands and pulling his katana from it. Then he headed for the stairs.  
  
"Ran?" Ken followed, hurrying after the redhead stepping purposefully up the stairs.  
  
------------------  
  
Ran walked up the top stairs into the attic room, looking around at the dusty furniture. He turned his katana, placing the tip against the floor in the center of the room. Ken slowly came up the stairs after him, watching him intently.  
  
"Mamoru, you want revenge," Ran said quietly. "So do I. And you knew that, didn't you?"  
  
The crystals in the wind chimes tinkled in an unseen breeze. Ken stared, but Ran didn't turn his head.  
  
"Then stop these foolish pranks," Ran said evenly. "Stop hurting the people that enter this house. Stop the noises. Behave, and I will get our revenge."  
  
The wind chimes sang, swaying, flashing light across the room. Ran blinked in the light as it shot across his eyes.  
  
He heard splashing and turned to the bathtub by the window. A small golden-haired boy sat in his bath, a small necklace around his neck as he rippled the water colored by the stained glass window. The music box sat open on the vanity, gently chiming out its song as the boy tried to sing with it, swirling the water around in his bath. The boy looked up at the sound of footsteps, and Ran turned to see Ken standing by the wall, eyes wide in shock. A younger Reiji came up the stairs, dressed in a white button up shirt and gray slacks.  
  
"Morning, father," the boy in the tub said quietly.  
  
Ran clenched the katana, his rage growing. Reiji wore a neutral expression as he walked forward, past Ken, and toward the tub. The katana flashed in the light as Ran struck, and came back out the other side of the man with no effect. Reiji continued to walk up to the end of the tub, looking down at the boy. Ran stared, breathing deeply in his anger.  
  
Mamoru looked up at his father with large innocent blue eyes, wondering what his father wanted. Reiji looked at him a moment longer, then quickly reached down into the water, grabbing the boy's small ankles. The boy gasped as he was pulled under the water, trying to cry out to have his mouth fill with water.  
  
Ran dashed forward, spinning to gather momentum, and his katana again passed through the man holding his son's legs up out of the water. Mamoru's small fists slammed against the sides of the tub, as his screams were drowned out by water. The hollow, metallic sound of the pounding echoed loudly.  
  
"Noooo!" Ken shrieked, dashing forward as the water splashed out of the tub, small hands flailing. Panting in rage, Ran grabbed Ken's shirt as he dashed forward, jerking him back and nearly off of his feet.  
  
"We can't stop it." He breathed heavily, teeth clenched. "It's the past."  
  
Mamoru's fists continued to pound against the sides of the tub. Seven, eight, nine...  
  
The small hands convulsed, groping, twitching, before sliding down into the water. Reiji continued to hold up the thin legs a few moments longer, then released them, letting them drop. He wiped his face with his sleeve as if the effort had been strenuous, staring down at the wide-open, blue eyes beneath the surface of the water as a few last tiny bubbles of air rose up from the boy's lips.  
  
Ken choked, briefly drawing Ran's gaze. When he looked back again, he was left staring at a cobwebbed tub filled with dust.  
  
----------------  
  
Ken was silent, poking at his food as Ran sipped coffee, watching him. Ken looked utterly miserable, head hanging. Even his hair seemed to have lost its shine, looking dull and limp.  
  
After watching him push an egg around his plate a little longer, Ran spoke up.  
  
"Do you still want to help him?"  
  
Ken lifted his head, eyes nearly hidden by his hanging bangs. Slowly, he nodded, looking down again.  
  
"Good." Ran sipped his coffee. "Then we find where Reiji is staying right now."  
  
"Youji," Ken said quietly. "Youji could find out."  
  
"Then let's go see him."  
  
-------------------  
  
"Are you shitting me?" Youji demanded, nearly spilling his coffee on himself. Asuka clucked her tongue and handed him a napkin.  
  
"They obviously aren't, Youji," she said in exasperation. "Look at their faces!"  
  
Youji mopped up the drops on his shirt and put the cup of coffee down on the end table.  
  
"I'm not surprised Reiji would murder his own son," Asuka continued. "He would sell his own mother if it got him somewhere. He's rotten."  
  
Ran nodded. "Or run over a young girl for no reason at all."  
  
"But that's the thing," Ken spoke up. "Mamoru wasn't Reiji's son. He was Shuuichi's. Maybe Reiji found out and decided to get rid of him."  
  
Youji blinked, then threw down the napkins, hurrying to a back room. Ran and Ken stared after him.  
  
"He's on the scent." Asuka laughed. Youji came running back with the manila folder, dropping it on the floor, and kneeling to scatter the papers in a hurry.  
  
"Youji, our guests are housebroken." Asuka winked at Ran and Ken.  
  
Youji stopped to give her a suffering look, then grabbed a page, reading over it quickly. "I hereby bequeath unto Takatori Mamoru my estates and finances."  
  
Youji skimmed the page and jabbed it with his finger. "In the event Mamoru should die before his eighteenth birthday, all estates and finances will go to Takatori Hirofumi upon his eighteenth year!"  
  
Youji held up the paper in triumph. "That was it! If Mamoru wasn't Reiji's son, he might withhold the money from him. But Hirofumi is fanatically loyal to his father. So Reiji killed him to get the money back in his hands. The kidnapping was a cover up!"  
  
Asuka golf clapped. "He's so smart."  
  
Youji blanched, slowly turning his head to look at his wife. She smiled sweetly at him. Youji's head twitched, and he grimaced.  
  
"So that was his motivation," Ken said quietly.  
  
"But it's not enough, guys." Youji shook his head. "We gotta have solid proof it happened."  
  
"Why?" Ran asked quietly.  
  
"The cops won't have anything to go on."  
  
"Who said anything about cops?"  
  
Youji stared at the solemn swordsman as that comment registered. "You aren't..."  
  
Ran stood up, smoothing out his light jacket. "Tell me where I can find him."  
  
"No, wait, I can't do this." Youji shook his head. "As much as I love the police, if you go kill him, and the police find out I told you were he is, then I'm an accessory. No wait, I'm a conspirator! No way. There's gotta be some proof."  
  
Ran took a deep breath, and turned to leave. "Fine."  
  
"No! No! Wait!" Youji snapped. "We just need some evidence! He could get the death penalty, if not life! Ran! Goddammit!"  
  
Ran looked back at the blonde amid the papers spread on the floor.  
  
"What kind of evidence would be left from a nine-year-old crime?" Ken asked.  
  
"The body." Asuka nodded. "Reiji had to get rid of the body. Find that, and you've got your case."  
  
"Asuka?" Ran asked quietly, looking at her intently. Asuka realized the intent of the look, and swallowed.  
  
----------------  
  
"Mamoru, where is your body?"  
  
The pencil began to draw, first a circle, then a square around it. A house was drawn in the corner of the square.  
  
"Hey, that..." Ken shut his mouth, looking at Youji. Youji nodded at his wise decision.  
  
The four-legged creatures were drawn, some facing the square, others facing away. The circle was colored in, the pencil marking a dark 'X' on it.  
  
Ran looked at the picture, then around the room. "Mamoru, we need more, this isn't enough, you have to show us more."  
  
Youji frowned at him, then looked back to the paper as words began to appear.  
  
"Necklace," Youji read. "Horse. Well..."  
  
The pencil came to rest, and Asuka opened her eyes, blinking calmly this time. Ran stood up, looking down at the sketch.  
  
"Horse." He pointed out the creatures. Then his finger slid to the house, and to the circle.  
  
"X marks the spot," Youji murmured.  
  
Ran tapped the circle. "Necklace, well."  
  
"Well!" Asuka exclaimed. "A well! This is a well! Near a house with horses! A farm, or something."  
  
Youji leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Love your brain."  
  
Asuka poked him in the forehead. "Yeah, sure, you married me for my brain."  
  
"Well, that was one of the reasons." Youji grinned.  
  
"Reiji can't have gone far." Ken scratched his cheek, then his eyes widened. "Farm! No! Not a farm! A riding stable! There was a riding stable barely even a mile from here! But they built houses on it."  
  
"Time to go hunting." Youji chuckled in glee.  
  
-------------------  
  
Youji hummed as he looked over the map, turning to orient himself and avoid burning the map with his cigarette. "There."  
  
He pointed to a whitewashed house with a small dog in the front yard. "That's where the well used to be."  
  
"Let's go." Ran stepped forward. Ken grabbed his arm, stopping him.  
  
"What are you going to do? Ask them if we can tear up their floor to search for a body?"  
  
"Exactly." Ran tugged his arm free.  
  
Asuka sighed, shaking her head. "Men. Let me handle this."  
  
She walked up to the front door of the house as the poodle in the yard yapped at her.  
  
The men waited as Asuka flashed her identification to the woman who answered the door, and engaged her in conversation.  
  
"She's a police officer?" Ran looked to Youji. Youji raised an eyebrow, inhaling on the cigarette.  
  
"No, she's an investigator too." He grinned, blowing smoke. "We're partners."  
  
"Guys!" Asuka waved them to join her.  
  
-------------------  
  
"Normally I wouldn't have taken you seriously." The woman who lived in the house wrung her hands in her kitchen. "But last night my son woke the house, screaming that there was a boy trying to come up through his bedroom floor."  
  
"Bingo." Youji chuckled, happily smoking in the house with permission. The woman looked pained and distraught, watching him. Youji handed her a cigarette and she took it gratefully.  
  
"I tried to quit." She laughed, lighting it from Youji's offered lighter. "But I really need one right now."  
  
"So we can look for the body?" Ken asked.  
  
"Please, find it, so my son can sleep in peace." The woman nodded.  
  
-------------------  
  
Ken dug his shovel in deep, dropping the shovelful of dirt into the bucket next to him. Ran pulled the bucket up, standing above the small hole they had made in the bedroom floor. Ken planted the shovel and rested his arm on it, wiping his brow.  
  
"Wanna switch out?" he asked, his voice echoing up the stone walls of the well.  
  
Ran handed Youji the bucket of dirt and took off his jacket as Ken climbed up the ladder, groaning over his sore muscles.  
  
Ran climbed down the ladder, waiting for the bucket to return, angling the hanging work light the resident had helpfully offered. He looked around at the dirt under his feet.  
  
Mamoru, where are you? We've dug down five feet already.  
  
"Here it comes," Ken called, and lowered the empty bucket. Placing the bucket next to his foot, Ran dug the shovel in, dropping the dirt into the bucket. He filled the bucket and waited for it to be emptied.  
  
When it returned, he dug in again, freezing when small pale objects came up with the dirt. He let the dirt out of the shovel carefully, then gently worked the shovel tip into the dirt. On the tip of his shovel rose a small bone, and he stared at it, putting the shovel down to brush the dirt away with his hands. More bones revealed themselves as he swept the dirt away. Ran sat back on his heels, breathing heavily, staring into small dirt- filled eye sockets.  
  
"Ran?" Ken called from above. "You okay?"  
  
Ran just looked at the tiny bones of a small arm and shoulder, tiny teeth in a jawbone.  
  
You were more wronged than I. He looked sorrowfully down at the small skull. A glint caught his eye, and he reached carefully for it, lifting a small chain from the dirt.  
  
"Ran?" Ken asked anxiously.  
  
"Yeah, Ken." Ran blew dirt from the chain, finding a small golden plate in the center. He rubbed the dirt off with his fingers, and held it up to the light.  
  
'Mamoru' was etched in elegant calligraphy on the tarnished plate.  
  
"I found him, Ken. I found him."  
  
----------------  
  
The police came to claim the bones, excavating the crude grave for every last piece.  
  
After thoroughly interrogating everyone, the police released the group unwillingly. No one had given a complete story. And the police knew it. But had nothing to legally hold them.  
  
"Okay, you've got your proof." Ran looked into the rear view mirror at Youji as the investigator drove them away from the house. "Now you get me what I want."  
  
Youji sighed, stopping at a red light. "Okay. I'll find out. But you can't leak it that I told you. Reiji is going to be antsy that his son's body turned up. And the police saw me there with you. If you get found out, you better not say a word about me."  
  
"Done." Ran nodded.  
  
"You too, Ken!" Youji looked back at the brunette.  
  
"My lips are sealed," Ken promised.  
  
"I'll call you when I find out," Youji promised back. "I still say you let the police take him."  
  
"Youji..." Asuka rolled her eyes.  
  
"Yeah, I know." Youji sighed. "Damned lawyers find every loop hole and Reiji likely has a judge or two in his pocket."  
  
Ran nodded slowly and in agreement. "Reiji cannot be dealt with within the law."  
  
Youji sighed again, letting his shoulders slump. "Asuka and I are a part of this now, Ran. Don't fail us."  
  
"I won't." 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4.  
  
Ran looked down at his sister as she slept her days away.  
  
"Soon," he promised. "I'll get our revenge. Soon."  
  
He knelt down beside the bed, taking a pale hand in his. "Please, please wake up, Aya. I need you to smile for me. I need you to laugh."  
  
She didn't respond, small chest rising and falling steadily. Kissing her fingers, Ran laid the hand gently down.  
  
"He'll pay."  
  
----------------  
  
"Are you ready?" Ran asked the soccer player next to him. Ken looked at the window ahead and nodded. Ran stepped across the roof lightly, running in a low posture, Ken hot on his heels.  
  
Ran dropped into a crouch next to the window, pressing himself against the side of the up-thrust, triangular window. He peeked in quickly, seeing the room was empty. He looked back to Ken behind him, and slid forward, tugging on the window to find it unlocked. He slid it open silently, stepping one leg in first, katana ready to spring into action. Ken slid in after him, bumping his head against the window and whispering a curse.  
  
Ran glared at him, and Ken hunched his shoulders guiltily. Ran quickly stepped to the wall by the door, pressing flat against it, waiting for Ken to join him. He slowly and quietly turned the doorknob, peeking out the tiny crack into the hallway. He heard voices downstairs, and opened the door just enough to slide out into the hallway, pressing into the shadows.  
  
Reaching the stairs, he looked down to see a man pass below and ducked his head back. Waiting for a few breaths, he peeked again and watched, waiting for movement. He felt Ken's leg press against his, signifying his readiness to move, and Ran crept down the stairs.  
  
"Goodnight," he heard a man call from around the corner and pressed himself to the wall. A man he recognized as Hirofumi passed without a glance at the stairs. Ran took calming breaths, waiting for the man to pass out of sight. He heard a gruff cough from the room to the left, and motioned to Ken at the door. Ken nodded, and Ran dashed across the hall to press against the wall. Ken followed in a hurry, nearly crashing himself into the wall, catching himself with his hands.  
  
Ran gave him another glare and Ken motioned at him to stop the glare, looking irritated. Ran motioned for Ken to open one of the double doors, and Ken gulped, reaching for the handle. As soon as the door opened, Ran slipped in, spotting Reiji himself with a glass of scotch, looking out the window.  
  
"Takatori Reiji," Ran said lowly, and Reiji turned, body tensing.  
  
Ran dropped into a ready pose, using one hand to reach onto his jacket pocket. He pulled out the small necklace, holding it up.  
  
"For you." He tossed the necklace at Reiji's feet. "From Mamoru."  
  
Reiji stared at the necklace, then back up at Ran, eyes hardening.  
  
"I am Fujimiya Ran," Ran said lowly. "You struck my sister with your car, placing her in a coma."  
  
He saw no recognition in those cruel eyes, and it angered him further.  
  
"I live in your house, Reiji. Mamoru's house," Ran growled. "And he's not very happy."  
  
"So what is it you want?" Reiji sneered. "Money? I have no idea what you're talking about."  
  
Ran clenched his teeth and his muscles bunched before he sprung.  
  
"SHIIII-NEEEEE!!" he shrieked, swinging the katana with both hands. He heard a muffled 'peep' and felt his body jerk from a blow, sending him crashing to the floor. He felt disoriented, trying to figure out what had happened. His side stung, but other than that, there seemed nothing wrong. He looked back at Reiji to see another man step through a door behind Reiji's desk, a glock in hand, complete with silencer.  
  
"Trouble, Mister Takatori?" The gunman smirked.  
  
"Vigilantes." Reiji snorted. Ran tried to get up and pain finally lanced through his gut, making him clench his eyes shut.  
  
"Get rid of him." Reiji shrugged, waving his hand in dismissal. The gunman stalked forward, weapon aimed at Ran's head. Ran glared back at the man in the ice cream white suit.  
  
"Pest," the man spat, and squeezed the trigger.  
  
"SHIIII-NEEE!!!"  
  
Ran blinked to see a large potted plant slam into the gunman before he finished pulling the trigger, knocking him off his feet, the bullet hitting a wall.  
  
"Ran!" Ken yelled from the doorway. "Come on!"  
  
Ran staggered to his feet in a hurry, eyes searching for Reiji to see the back door shut. He lurched forward after him.  
  
"Goddammit! Later, Ran!" Ken yelled, dashing forward to grab his arm and yank him out the door.  
  
He heard the muffled 'peep' and the bottom of the doorframe exploded in splinters as he passed through it.  
  
Ken led him for the front door, running in such a hurry, he nearly tripped himself a few times. Angry voices started yelling behind them as Ken jerked open the front door and drug Ran out after him.  
  
"I did it good, ne?" Ken laughed at him as they ran across the grounds. "SHI-NE!"  
  
Ran felt too grim to answer, and the pain in his gut gnawed at him. Ken took a running leap, grabbing onto the wall and pulling himself up. He crouched, reaching back for Ran. Ran took the offered hand, feet scrabbling against the wall as he went up. Plaster in the wall flew free next to his thigh, and Ran turned his head to see the gunman following at a dead run.  
  
----------------  
  
Ken floored the gas pedal, slamming Ran back in his seat. Light played over the windshield and Ran peered around to see headlights coming after them.  
  
"Shit," Ken snarled, and turned the wheel wildly to take a turn.  
  
"Crap! He's in a Camaro!" Ken looked in the side view mirror. "He'll catch us for sure!"  
  
"Just drive." Ran panted, grimacing as his insides burned.  
  
"Hell, hell, hell," Ken chanted through clenched teeth as he took another turn, the car sliding a bit before the tires grabbed the road.  
  
Tires squealed and Ken glanced back to see the Camaro swerve wildly around the turn, then suddenly slide into a spin. The Camaro drove forward onto the grass and around to get back to the road, spitting grass and gravel from the tires. With the speed built up behind it, just as it hit the road, the front of the car suddenly jumped, bringing the front end up as the rear tires shot the car forward.  
  
The rapidly spinning rear tires hit the edge of the asphalt, thrusting the car up and off the road. It seemed to hang motionless for a moment before the perfect balance was disturbed, tilting the car before it came smashing down into the road on its side. As if unsatisfied with that position, the car continued motion to fall over and landed upside down. Ken slammed on the brakes, sending their car sliding as he looked back at the Camaro in astonishment.  
  
Ran looked out the window at the other car, making out the white suit of the man trying to climb out through a window. Flames suddenly started licking up the rear of the car, spreading quickly. Too quickly. Ran closed his eyes at the burst of light and noise as the car exploded.  
  
"Holy..." Ken breathed. The two sat in silence as the car burned like a huge bonfire.  
  
"Where did the flame come from?" Ken asked quietly. It might have been due to the pain or the weakness Ran felt, but for a moment, he thought he saw a small figure standing on the road in front of the flames. A tiny silhouette watching the car burn.  
  
"Drive," he grated to Ken. Ken blinked, coming out of his trance, and pressed the accelerator.  
  
-------------------  
  
Reiji put down his glass of scotch, eyes falling on the necklace on the ground. He stooped to pick up the tarnished gold, and looking at the name on the thin plate.  
  
Snarling, he threw it onto his desk. He glanced at the picture of his family sitting on his desk.  
  
"Whore," he snarled at the picture of his dead wife. The picture frame began to tremble as the necklace started to slide due to the sudden tremoring of the desk.  
  
Reiji grabbed the desk, trying to hold it down. He looked up to see if anything else was shaking, to find everything else still. His eyes fell again on the necklace, grabbing it up and squeezing it in his hand as if he could crumble it to ashes.  
  
"Father," he heard an echoing high-pitched voice call. "Father."  
  
"No!" Reiji snarled. "Don't call me that! Damn you! You're dead!"  
  
"Father..."  
  
-------------------  
  
Ken helped Ran walk into the house as the redhead splattered blood on the floor in red drops.  
  
"I'm calling 911," Ken said quickly, laying Ran down in a chair.  
  
"Taka...tori..." Ran panted, swinging his hand with an imaginary katana. "Shi...ne..."  
  
"Oh boy." Ken hurried for the phone. As he reached the kitchen, the door slammed shut in his face.  
  
"Hey!" He grabbed the doorknob. "I need the phone!"  
  
Other doors slammed shut in turn down the hall.  
  
"Oh crap, he's pissed," Ken breathed, jerking on the doorknob. "Open the damn door, Mamoru!"  
  
"Taka...tori..." Ran staggered against the doorframe to lean heavily against it. He clutched at his side, eyes squinting to see.  
  
"Ran! Go lay back down!" Ken snarled and ran over to him, gasping as flames abruptly came to life on the stairway railing, shooting their way down from above as if following a trail of gasoline  
  
"Oh shit." Ken ducked down and shoved his shoulder into Ran's stomach, ignoring the man's cry of pain as he heaved him up off the floor.  
  
"We're outta here, Ran!" Ken grunted as he stepped toward the front door. Flames shot up around the door, licking the doorframe.  
  
Ken grabbed the doorknob, finding it locked and jerked on it in denial. "Nooo!"  
  
"Ken." Ran choked, pointing at the stairs.  
  
"Yes! The house is on fire, Ran!" Ken reached through the broken window, trying to unlock the door from the outside. Ran was staring at a small child standing at the top of the stairs, surrounded by flame. The fire bronzed his blonde hair as the child looked back at him.  
  
"Ran, I'm going to let you out the window, okay?"  
  
Ran reached out toward the child, who lifted a hand toward him in response. A small smile played the child's lips.  
  
Then Ran blinked to see another figure walking toward the stairs from out of nowhere. Reiji was walking to the bottom of the stairs, looking up at the boy.  
  
"Father," Mamoru called mournfully.  
  
Ken turned to hear the voice, blanching at the scene.  
  
"Ta...Takatori," Ran choked, still trying to reach out to them. Reiji stepped up the stairs, looking up at the boy, and flame rushed across the steps as he passed them.  
  
Ken and Ran watched in stupefied awe as Reiji got to the top of the stairs, looking down at the child as the stairs collapsed behind him. Flame rushed along the walls eagerly, creeping like a living thing, shooting up around the two figures at the top of the stairs. Mamoru looked up at his murderer as the flames rose up like a curtain to hide them from view.  
  
The front door creaked open, and Ken yanked on it, wrenching it open and running out of the house.  
  
"Takatoriii!" Ran yelled back at the house as flames filled the doorway.  
  
-------------------  
  
"We now lay this child, Mamoru, to rest." The priest sprinkled water in the sign of the cross across the small coffin before him.  
  
Ken watched the coffin lower itself, shaking the gentle white flowers on the top of it. A hand fell on his shoulder, and he looked back to see Youji smile at him. Asuka dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, sniffing.  
  
To the right, Ran looked on passively, dressed in a black suit, eyes watching the coffin lower. Ran's hand tightened on the hand of a girl at his side, dark braids hanging down her shoulders.  
  
"So," Youji said quietly. "I guess I'll see you around."  
  
Ken nodded to him. "I guess you will."  
  
Asuka hugged him, sniffing still, ruffling his hair. "Take care of yourself."  
  
"I will." He smiled at her. He watched the couple walk away, Asuka leaning into Youji's arms. He looked back to Ran, who was intent on watching the coffin all the way down. Aya leaned forward past her brother to look at him, and smile.  
  
Ken smiled back at her, ducking his head in embarrassment.  
  
The coffin finally out of sight, Ran looked over at Ken. Ken bit his lip, not sure what to say to the redhead.  
  
"Katana practice, tomorrow, three o'clock." Ran gave him a small smile, and Ken grinned, nodding. Aya waved at him as she followed her brother away from the scene. Ken waved back, smiling like a fool, then turned back to the grave.  
  
"That was smooth, kid." He tucked his hands in his pockets. "I don't know how you did it. I know Reiji was there, but they found him dead of a heart attack in his study. Smooth."  
  
Birds singing was his only answer.  
  
"And thanks for Aya, if that was your doing." He looked down at his shoes. "You did kinda owe Ran something."  
  
He thought again of Aya's bright eyes and sweet smile. "Oh, and I guess you owed me something too."  
  
Ken turned on his heel and stepped away across the grass. The breeze ruffled his hair, and the sun bright on his face as he thought forward to tomorrow. 


End file.
